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We’ve had a brief taste of the 2019/20 season, and we want to check in with what you think of the manager right now.
Reading fans are yet to see a win in normal time this season, with two defeats in the Championship and one penalty shoot-out victory in the League Cup. First up was the 3-1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, before a 2-1 reverse at Hull City the following Saturday. It was a stark start for a man who earned a cracking 4.26/5 approval rating at the end of the previous season.
A few days later though, the Royals edged past Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup by defeating the League One side on penalties at Adams Park. New signing Rafael made two key saves, while Danny Loader converted the decisive spot-kick.
Team selection-wise, Jose Gomes selected a predictably young team for the first game but, after new signings arrived just before the end of the window, has since chopped and changed. The Royals have experimented with both a 4-4-2 diamond and a 3-5-2 across their three competitive fixtures so far.
During the summer, the manager’s role had been a little harder to gauge, although he had part to play in the outcasting of Garath McCleary, Chris Gunter et al. He spoke of the need to cut our cloth financially and yet Reading spent £12.5m on two strikers in the final days of the window: Lucas Joao and George Puscas.
Still, there is an air of confidence and some momentum around the dressing room - plus team spirit. And Gomes has continually praised the fans and appears keen to empower them with a proper sense of club identity.
Give your opinion on Gomes in the form below, and if you can’t see the poll, click here.